Regarding the Aug. 10 article "Less school comment likely":
Just a month after the school board's majority voted in March to move toward community-based assignments, Wake Education Partnership issued an excellent summary of the issues and noted, "Given the rhetoric and emotions triggered by the school board's approval of community-based assignments, modifying the current assignment model might not seem politically feasible to some.
"But it is possible to change the current system, so it provides more stability, balance and choice."
However, there is another statement: "Ultimately, the approach [to assignments] is less important than the community's belief that the process is transparent and open to compromise. Countless interests rest on the success of a good student assignment plan, especially in a system as large as Wake County."
Given that Chairman Ron Margiotta has again decreed less open meetings, both in number and transparency, I hope the public will demand adherence to the State's Open Meetings Law - not only to the letter, but also the spirit. Margiotta is not doing so, and he must be challenged.
There is no legal precedent for allowing vouchers to limit the number of people attending an open public meeting. How is this being defended statutorily by the school board?
Martha C. Brock
Raleigh
